System for the real time inventory and localization of refrigerating containers and related method

ABSTRACT

System ( 10 ) for remotely controlling and monitoring a food refrigerator ( 1 ), and its content, of the type intended to be given in rental or in free loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of cold products, comprising a control unit ( 2 ) for checking and storing a plurality of functioning parameters of the food refrigerator ( 1 ), an RFID reader ( 3 ) intended to read data stored in a plurality of RFID tags attached to the cold products, a communication unit ( 4 ) for interconnecting an external device, the RFID reader ( 3 ) comprising means for retrieving data from said RFID tags when the cold products are still stocked inside the food refrigerator ( 1 ) and the communication unit ( 4 ) localization means for transmitting information to the external device about a geographical localization of the food refrigerator ( 1 ). System ( 10 ) according to claim  1  wherein said means produce a radio frequency signal at predetermined time intervals for activating said RFID tags. The data stored in said RFID tag comprises a unique identification number. The communication unit ( 4 ) is a GSM/GPRS unit. The external devices might be a second food refrigerator, residing in a same local area network (LAN). The external device is a remote server ( 5 ) located outside the local area network (LAN) equipped with a management information system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/744,309, filed Apr. 5, 2006, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein.

DESCRIPTION

1. Field of Application

The present invention relates to a system for controlling and monitoringa food refrigerator and its content of the type intended to be given inrental or in free loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of cold products,comprising a control unit for checking and storing a plurality offunctioning parameters of said food refrigerator.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a system of the typedescribed above comprising communication units for interconnectingexternal devices or to the internet, in order to allow a technician tocheck and modify, locally or remotely, the functioning parameters of thefood refrigerator.

2. Prior Art

As it is well known, food refrigerators for ice creams and cold productsin general may be located in public places, for example in coffeehouses,in order to maintain a predetermined temperature of the cold productsbefore a sale.

More particularly, the food refrigerator may be equipped with a controlunit for checking a plurality of functioning parameters, for example atemperature value inside the food refrigerator, its power on/power offstatus or the quantity of cold products already available.

The control unit may alert a user, for example when the foodrefrigerator is quite empty or when the temperature is too high, inorder to prevent a waste of the products. In case of abnormalfunctioning, the control unit may for example emit an acoustic signal orswitch on a light.

More particularly, some food refrigerators are provided with a controlunit implementing an RFID system to detect the number and type ofproducts. The RFID system includes a reader with an antenna and aplurality of tags provided with a coupler antenna. Each tag is attachedto a corresponding cold product, for example it is attached to a casehosting or enveloping such product.

More in detail, a tag is usually a passive component because it is notequipped with a battery in order to be powered but it is activated by anelectromagnetic field; some special tags are active components becausethey include a self power-on. In both cases, the reader sends, throughits antenna, a radio frequency signal that is captured by the couplerantenna embedded inside the tag so that a response signal, storinginformation associated to the cold product whereto the tag is attached,may be returned from the coupler antenna to the reader.

More particularly, electric circuitry inside passive tags are powered bythe electromagnetic field generated by the reader, during thetransmission of the radio frequency signal. Passive tags are used fortheir lower cost, especially for application when the tag cannot bereused after the selling of the product to which it is attached.

Generally, the minimum informative content stored inside passive tags isan alphanumeric code one by one associated to the cold product, moreparticularly, to the case wherein the food is stored. In this way twodifferent tags never store a same alphanumeric code so that the tag notonly identifies a certain product category but also the single specimenof the product.

Another important issue for such food refrigerator is that they aresometimes given in rental or in free loan, from a manufacturer of coldproducts to a vendor of such cold products, for example to acoffeehouse. In this way the vendor is much prone to buy cold products,since he/she is not involved in buying or maintaining the foodrefrigerator.

Of course the manufacturer of cold products is interested in the correctfunctioning of his food refrigerator, especially to be sure that it iscorrectly working, it is not empty and to be aware that the foodrefrigerator is used by the specific vendor to which it was originallydelivered. In other words, the manufacturer of cold products must beconscious about every action taken on his food refrigerator.

A prior art document, the United States patent No. US 2006/0006999 A1,discloses a system and a method for monitoring the temperature insiderefrigerators, more particularly in hospital field. A specific RFID tagable to read temperatures, sends a value of temperature to an RFIDreader. The system provides the storing and the managing of informationinside an electronic log in order to check the temperature depending ontime and, in the case of abnormal functioning, to send a message to amaintainer of the food refrigerator.

The system and the method of this prior art solution are specificallyindicated for asset tracking and inventory maintenance, especially forhospitals, but no reference is made to the monitoring of therefrigerator location outside the hospital area wherein the refrigeratoris usually hosted, for example a remote monitoring driven by amanufacturer of the refrigerator not residing inside the same hospitalarea. In other word, the system and the method do not provide thelocalization of the refrigerator, since it is supposed that therefrigerator always resides in a delimited local area. Moreover, theRFID tag is responsible to take a measure of the temperature, not totrack a product inventory inside the food refrigerator.

A second prior art document, the United States application No US2002/0089434A1 relates to a tracking system comprising a GSM/GPSapplication but it is substantially based on a “gate access control”system for tracking people or vehicles. In this case, no reference ismade to the localization of refrigerators nor to the inventory ofproducts.

A third solution is disclosed by the European patent application NoEP1479988, relating to wireless electronic control system for homeappliances, more particularly for refrigerators, based on wirelesstransponder sensors for checking parameters of a device and with RFIDtag attached to the products.

The system discloses a monitoring and a local control of parameters inorder to check a correct functioning of the refrigerator and it supportsthe control of products inside it. A reading of functioning parametersis executed through a device external to the refrigerator, for improvingthe intervention of a technician. Anyway no reference is made to theremote control of such parameters, nor a localization of the foodrefrigerator through a remote control unit, in order to check remotelywhether it is turned on and/or located near the vendor where it wasdelivered.

Another prior art document, a patent application with internationalpublication number WO03073201, discloses the control of products withRFID tag inside micro-warehouses, included in a refrigerator. Anidentification of products depends on their passages through arefrigerator door, entering and exiting the refrigerator, while noreference is made to the identification of products inside therefrigerator itself. In this specific application, the remote control offunctioning parameter of the food refrigerator is not considered, northe remote control of products stored in it.

Finally, the Japan application No JP2004062315 relates to a system and amethod for monitoring devices for managing home appliances during theirlife cycle. A tag is a central instruments for monitoring the homeappliance in this application, but it is not an instruments for remotecontrol, nor for checking the number of products available inside thehome appliance.

The problem at the basis of the present invention is that of providing asystem for checking the geographic localization of food refrigerators,for example given in rental or in free loan from a cold productsmanufacturer to a cold products vendor, the system supporting anembedded control unit for checking functioning parameters of the foodrefrigerator as well as for inventorying the products stored inside, sothat the manufacturer is aware of well-function or malfunction of therefrigerator and of all actions taken on his food refrigerator and sothat he is also remotely aware of the content of the food refrigerator,without requiring a local action such as a movement of cold productsinside the refrigerator, allowing an optimisation of the profit of therental or free loan of the food refrigerator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a system forinventorying the content of a food refrigerator through an RFID systemdetecting tags attached or associated to cold products, independently bytheir movement, the system comprising a check of the geographiclocalization of the food refrigerator through GSM/GPRS means,hereinafter indicated as delocalization check.

A further embodiment of the invention relates to a system for remotecontrol of a food refrigerator of the type intended to be given inrental or in free loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of cold products,comprising:

a control unit for checking and storing a plurality of functioningparameters of said food refrigerator,

an RFID reader intended to read data, stored in a plurality of RFID tagsattached to said cold products,

a communication unit for interconnecting an external device,

said RFID reader comprising means for retrieving said data from saidRFID tag when said cold products are still stocked inside said foodrefrigerator and said communication unit comprising localization meansfor transmitting information to said external device on a geographicallocalization of said food refrigerator.

The characteristics and the advantages of the system according to thepresent invention will be apparent from the following description of anembodiment thereof, made with reference to the annexed drawings, givenfor indicative and non-limiting purpose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: schematically shows, in a diagram block, an RFID systemaccording to the prior art.

FIG. 2: schematically shows some transmission cells of a GSM network, aninformation on the transmission cell whereto a mobile device isconnected being retrievable via software, according to the prior art.

FIG. 3: schematically shows a block diagram of the system according tothe present invention.

FIG. 4: schematically shows a block diagram of the managementinformation system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5: schematically shows an example of hardware modules architectureaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6: schematically shows an example of a GPRS communication between aremote server and a refrigerator control unit, initiated by the controlunit, according to the present invention.

FIG. 7: schematically shows an example of a GPRS communication between aremote server and a refrigerator control unit, initiated by the remoteserver, according to the present invention.

FIG. 8: schematically shows a Local Area Network or a wireless networkinterconnecting food refrigerators, interconnected through a gateway toan external network, according to the present invention.

FIG. 9: schematically shows an example of a communication initiated by aLocal Area Network or the wireless network of FIG. 8 toward a remoteserver, according to the present invention.

FIG. 10: schematically shows a possible communication between a remoteserver and a Local Area Network of refrigerators, according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 11: schematically shows in a state diagram, the possible states ofthe control unit working on board of a refrigerator, the super-statesbeing S1 (Initial verification), S2 (Initialization), S3 (Execution),according to the present invention.

FIG. 12: schematically shows an example of communication between arefrigerator control unit and a remote server to initialize the controlunit and assign it to the specific refrigerator.

FIG. 13: schematically represents, in a pseudo code, the data structureto be used for the delocalization check, according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 14: schematically shows, at any given time, a possible networkconfiguration for a delocalization check, according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the present invention and with reference to the annexeddrawings, a system for remotely controlling food refrigerators orrefrigerated vending machines is schematically represented with thenumeral reference 10.

The food refrigerator 1 is of the type intended to be given in rental orin free loan from a manufacturer of cold product to a vendor of suchcold product, for example to a coffeehouse, not limiting the scope ofthe present invention. In fact, the food refrigerator 1 is also referredto “frigobars” for rooms of hotel chains wherein it is important to knowits precise content, in order to prepare a corresponding billing for aclient or to supply an opportune refurbishment after consumption.

More particularly, the system 10 comprises a control unit 2 for checkinga plurality of functioning parameters of the food refrigerator 1, forexample indicating a temperature value inside the food refrigerator 1,its power-on/power-off status or the quantity of cold products stillavailable.

Such functioning parameters are monitored by the control unit 2 in orderto detect an abnormal functioning of the food refrigerator 1 and toprevent a waste of the cold products.

The system 10 also comprises an RFID reader 3 intended to read aplurality of tags attached to a corresponding plurality of cold productsto be tracked. The RFID reader 3 may for example be enclosed in anapposite protective case of the food refrigerator 1.

The system 10 also provides a communication unit 4 for interconnectingthe food refrigerator and one or more external devices. For example, thecommunication unit 4 is a GSM/GPRS unit or a wireless unit intended tocommunicate with a second food refrigerator, provided with same GSM/GPRSunit or provided with a wireless unit 4, and located in a LAN with thefood refrigerator 1.

The communication unit 4 is intended to connect via GSM/GPRS or viawireless communication a remote server 5, for example remotely locatedoutside the LAN wherein the food refrigerator 1 is positioned.

More particularly, the remote server 5 can be reached, for examplethrough the internet network, by the management of the manufacturer offood products while the food refrigerator 1, including the communicationunit 4, is located at the vendor of food products, the vendor and themanufacturer potentially being in different countries.

The system 10 according to the invention comprises a food refrigeratormonitoring and inventory hereinafter described: the cold products arearranged in a plurality of cases, for example, in mono-use boxes whereona tag is attached in non removable way, in order to advantageouslyprovide a one by one association between a cold product and thecorresponding case.

The term “case” according to the present invention may also be referredto a plastic wrap used to wrap around the cold product or a solid boxwherein such product is placed.

According to the present invention, the RFID reader 3 detects a quantityof cold products inside the food refrigerator independently of amovement of such products. The RFID reader 3 sends an electromagneticsignal at predetermined time intervals, for example every second or morefrequently, in order to hear a response by the tags corresponding tocold products. This periodical scan can occur continuously or ratherunder certain conditions (so as to reduce the amount of data to beprocessed and the power consumption), e.g. when the doors of therefrigerators are opened.

The electromagnetic field generated by the RFID reader 3 powers on thetags at predetermined time intervals. Advantageously, the presence of acold product can be detected independently of a movement of suchproducts through a door of the food refrigerator 1 and, more generally,without the intervention of a human-driven movement or anelectromechanical movement of the tagged products.

In other words, the RFID reader 3 scans the interior of the refrigeratorenabling a real time inventory thus making an instantaneous “picture” ofthe content of the food refrigerator 1 and, on the base of an answerreceived by the e-tagged products, can provide a complete inventory ofthe products inside the food refrigerator as well as a count of theincoming and outcoming flows of products. The incoming and outcomingflows of products can be easily determined by the control unit 2examining the sequence of said “pictures”.

The inventory includes a plurality of inventory data, for examplecomprising the number of sold products during a period of time, theirpermanence inside the food refrigerator and their relevant dates, thatmight be a possible deadline or a delivering or sale date.

The system according to the present invention does not determine thequantity of products during their passage through the food refrigeratordoor, so that it is not possible to lose information for example becausemore than one cold products are inserted or extracted at a same timethrough the food refrigerator door, the reading of a first tagassociated to a first product being impeded by the presence of a secondtag attached to a second cold product.

The control unit 2, at predetermined time intervals, for example once aday, takes the inventory data detected by the RFID reader 3 andtransmits them to the remote server 5 via the communication unit 4. Thecontrol unit 2 sends to the remote server 5 also a plurality of functionparameters indicating a state of the food refrigerator, for examplesamples of refrigerator or environment temperature and moisture during aday, the number of openings of the food refrigerator door, the number ofswitchings on and off or the number of hours of activity of a compressorunit inside the food refrigerator or other subsystems, the powerconsumption.

The system 10 also comprises a localization/delocalization of the foodrefrigerator 1, providing the control unit 2 with the transmission tothe remote server 5 of additional information, extracted from thecommunication unit 4, for example from the GSM/GPRS modem, which allowto remotely check that the food refrigerator, delivered to a specificvendor, is not moved and re-located to a non authorized location(delocalization check).

More particularly, a GSM/GPRS communication system is based on apartition of geographical areas into a plurality of transmission cells.When a GSM/GPRS communication between the remote server 5 (actually itsfront-end) and the food refrigerator 1 is required, the communicationunit 4 executes a connection with a transmission cell dedicated to thearea wherein the food refrigerator 1 resides.

The system 10 includes a software for retrieving, from the GSM/GPRSmodem, the main cell and the neighboring cells around the refrigerator(see FIG. 14). This cell information, indicative of a relatively largearea and not of a specific location, for instance at address level, canbe used to detect whether the refrigerator has been moved from itssupposed location.

More in detail if, after a power-off period, the communication unit 4detects a transmission cell never referred to in previouscommunications, the control unit 2 can trigger a transmission of adelocalization message to the remote server 5, alerting that a theft oran undesired movement of the food refrigerator 1 may have occurred.

More than one alternative measure can be implemented to prevent falsealarms or undetected alert conditions, considering too that the set ofcells around a location can be dynamically changed by a provideraccording to its network configuration. For example, a set of securetransmission cells for a specific location of the food refrigerator 1can be defined in order to prevent the sending of such delocalizationmessage when the communication unit 4 contacts any transmission cell ofsaid set.

However, the system 10 can also be used to obtain more preciselocalization information by interrogating, through specific software andwith additional communication costs, the GSM/GPRS company, provided itoffers such service as it is now more and more common.

Moreover, the localization/delocalization according to the system 10 mayretrieve information from other communication systems, for example froma CDMA (code division multiple access) cellular system, or the GlobalPositioning System (GPS) or the OmniTRACS satellite system generallyused for transportation logistics.

The system 10 supports communications between the remote server 5 andthe communication unit(s) 4 in synchronous or asynchronous andbi-directional way: the remote server 5, receiving functioning parameterand inventory data, can directly intervene on the control unit 2, forexample remotely modifying the temperature settings of the foodrefrigerator 1 (of one particular refrigerator, or some refrigerators,e.g. in a certain geographical area). The intervention can be fullyautomatic or rather mediated by an operator through a decision supportsystem.

With a capillary report of information periodically sent by the on-boardcontrol units, the remote server 5 knows the content of each foodrefrigerators 1, their locations, the delivery flow of cold products,their vending flows, the total amount of cold products delivered, thenumber of cold products delivered and already sold, the number of foodrefrigerators powered on or their status. In this way the manufacturerof cold products can schedule the production and the delivery of coldproducts and the maintenance of food refrigerators 1, optimizing allactivities.

A transmission of inventory data or functioning parameters to the remoteserver 5 can also be directly triggered by a fault, detected by thecontrol unit 2. For example, an incorrect value of temperature, theabsence of cold products or a breakdown of the compressor can bedetected and trigger an immediate transmission of inventory data orfunctioning parameter to the remote server 5. In this way, acorresponding action can be immediately taken from the cold productmanufacturer or the maintenance team. The on-board unit is equipped witha back-up battery so that storage of data and their transmission ispossible also during a power-off situation, so that the remote server 5can be informed also on the power-off status.

With reference to FIG. 5, hardware modules included in the system 10,subsystems 2 and 4, are schematically represented: a microcontroller 10a, a power module 10 b, an input/output electronic unit 10 c, a GSM/GPRSmodem 10 d and an RFID module 10 e.

More particularly, the communication unit 4 comprises a quadri-bandwireless GPRS modem, operating at 850, 900, 1800, 1900 Mhz frequencies.A communication between the communication unit 4 and the remote server 5can be based on a HTTP Protocol and a PPP/IP network stack.

The communication via GPRS can be initiated by the on-board unit asschematically represented in FIG. 6 or by the remote server 5, asschematically represented in FIG. 7.

The communication unit 4 provides network local adapters (for example aLAN Ethernet adapter or a local wireless adapter, Wi-Fi or BlueTooth) inorder to connect a local area network to a remote network.

Such adapters are used to share, among more than one communication unit4 associated to corresponding food refrigerators 1, a single remotecommunication toward a remote network or a remote server 5, reducingcosts and optimising communication link.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a system 10 wherein a plurality of foodrefrigerators 1 are interconnected in a local area network throughrespective network adapters and interfaced to a remote network or to aremote server 5, for example through an internet gateway implementing aGPRS connection.

Each food refrigerator 1 comprises a client accessible only inside thelocal area network, for example implementing a software for respondingto requests based on the HTTP protocol.

More particularly, one of said client is also set as a network servertowards a remote network, for example to the internet so that one ormore clients can redirect HTTP request to such network server.

The network server, acting as a conventional internet gateway, forwardsthe data from the clients to the remote server 5. Any communicationcoming from a remote network or from a remote server 5 is received bythe network server and dispatched to the corresponding client inside thelocal area network.

In FIG. 9 a protocol for initiating a communication from a client in thelocal area network to a remote server 5 is schematically represented.

According to the present invention, the control unit on board therefrigerator 10 is programmed on the base of a State Diagram, asschematically represented in FIG. 11. An initialisation procedure,corresponding to the state S2, is executed to set up the system 10.

More particularly, during the permanence in state S2 an alarm led islighted on control unit 2 so that an operator can understand that thecontrol unit is not yet working. The led is switched off during thepermanence in state S5.

State S1 is executed only once after power on. In such state a variableis checked in a serial flash storage memory, for example included in thecontrol unit 2, in order to decide the following state accordingly.

During initialization, the communication unit 4 waits for an SMS sent byan installer, storing information about a serial number of the foodrefrigerator and a customer code to which it is associated; thisinformation is validated by the remote server 5 with a GPRS handshake.

More particularly, if the SMS is validated by the remote server 5, thecommunication unit 4 asks to the remote server 5 a plurality offunctioning parameters. During the validation handshake thecommunication unit 4 send the IMEI code of an installed modem.

State S5 corresponds to an execution of normal operations driven by thecommunication unit 4 and the control unit 2. A plurality of sub-statesof state S5 are possible, in order to modularise operations duringexecution. We analyze the example of FIG. 11.

State S6 corresponds to Input signal reading, as reported in the tablebelow. For each sample of a signal, a couple “sample value, sample time”is recorded. Following is a possible list of sampled variables andsampling parameters.

Historical memory on the Sampling control Name Type time unitTemperature Analogic   1 min 3 days Adsorbed Analogic 1.5 s 3 hourscompressor current Compressor Digital Event 3 days activation basedLocalization Structured  30 min 3 days

More particularly, the localization signal comprises a structuredinformation of the type represented in the pseudo code of FIG. 13.

In order to retrieve a localization signal, a loop on the communicationunit 4 is executed, for example asking the identification of the maincell and the neighboring cells and the operator code. More particularly,the information on localization, or better the delocalization check, isobtained by verifying, after a power fault, that either the cellsutilized by the GSM/GPRS communication systems are the same used beforethe fault or the number of new cells is not greater than a specifiedthreshold.

Finally State S7, corresponding to signals elaboration, is divided intothe following steps:

storing data into a non volatile on board memory, for example in serialflash memory included in the control unit 2;

food refrigerator fault detection;

delocalization detection.

A possible delocalization check algorithm is schematically describedhereinafter without limiting the scope of the invention. Moreparticularly, at any given time, the possible network configuration,detected through the GSM/GPRS modem, is reported in FIG. 14 and given bythe set:

N_(k)={Mc_(k),Nc_(k,j)}, which includes a main cell Mc_(k) and a numberof up to 6 neighboring cells Nck,j, where k is the sample time and j=1 .. . Nc_(max), Nc_(max)=1 . . . 6 (the number of neighboring cells),according to the network configuration.

Hence the cardinality of the set N_(k) is 1≦|N_(k)|≦7 (in other words,up to 7 cells are detected by the modem at each time).

A delocalization of the communication unit 4 is detected after apower-off and the successive power-on by checking whether the cellsutilized by the GSM/GPRS systems have changed with respect to thesituation before the power-off. In particular, denoting by k the timeafter the power fault and with k−1 the time before the power fault, ifthe cells at time k are exactly the same as at time k−1, or if number ofoverlapping cells before and after the fault is greater than aprescribed threshold TH (depending on the number of cells connected attime k−1) a delocalization is not flagged; otherwise a delocalizationwarning is produced. The algorithm can be described as follows:

${UnitDelocalized} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}{\left. \uparrow\mspace{11mu}{PowerOn} \right.,} \\{{{I_{k}} \leq {{TH}\left( {N_{k - 1}} \right)}},}\end{matrix} \right.$

where I_(k) is the set of overlapping cells, i.e. cells which wereconnected at time k−1 before the power-off and are again connected attime k after the power-on, i.e.I_(k)=N_(k)∩N_(k−1)

and the following table gives possible thresholds corresponding to thenumber of cells connected before the power-off:

|N_(k−1)| TH(|N_(k−1)|) 7 3 6 3 5 3 4 2 3 2 2 1 1 0

Thus if, for example, 5 cells were detected at time k−1, a warning isissued if only 3 of them (or less) are detected again after thepower-on.

Of course other and further checks can be realized on the remote server5 (rather than on the local on-board control unit 2) on the base of amuch wider collection of historical data and more powerful computationalcapabilities so as to avoid false alarms.

The system 10 also provides a management information, on the remoteserver 5, comprising one or more memory devices for storing informativedata, divided in a plurality of logical modules hereinafter described:

Application or user level, comprising:

control access: a module responsible for the authentication of a users,for example the authentication of a user accessing the remote controlunit 5. This module is also used to profile a user, associating acorresponding access level;

geographic analysis: a module responsible for the presentation ofinventory data, depending on the localization parameters, timeparameters, type of product;

sales analysis: a module responsible for the presentation of data aboutsales, depending on localization parameters, time parameters, type ofproduct;

data transfer: a module responsible for data transfer towards datamining systems;

management message: a module responsible for the management of massagesending, for example alerts, interrupts, SMSs, e-mails.

Business logic, comprising:

connection: a set of components responsible for the connection of theremote server 5 with an on-board unit to be controlled, comprising theimplementation of a specific communication protocol;

scheduler: a set of components responsible for the management of theactivation of communication channels;

normalizer: a set of components responsible for a normalization of datadepending on functioning parameters coming from different connections.Normalized data can be processed from the informative data unit, forexample in order to create reports;

signal management: a set of components responsible for the managing ofinformation of signal used by modules for presentation of messages.

Data store, comprising:

data information storage: a set of components responsible for a drivenwriting of information inside the informative data unit.

database: the core of the informative data unit.

The present invention also relates to a method for remote control of afood refrigerator 1 of the type intended to be given in rental or infree loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of cold products.

More particularly, the method comprises:

a phase for checking, through a control unit 2, a plurality offunctioning parameters of the food refrigerator 1;

a phase for reading, through an RFID reader 3, data stored inside aplurality of RFID tag attached to the cold products;

a phase for interconnecting, through a communication unit 4, an externaldevice, informing it on a geographical localization of the foodrefrigerator 1.

According to the method of the invention, the phase of reading isexecuted when the cold products are still stocked inside the foodrefrigerator.

Data are grouped in an inventory data file for example comprising anumber of cold products sold, their permanence inside the foodrefrigerator 1 and their production date.

The inventory data file is transmitted at predetermined time intervalsfrom the communication unit 4 to said remote control unit 5; also thefunctioning parameters are sent from the communication unit 4 to theremote control unit 5.

More particularly, the functioning parameters includes a geographiclocation information, derived by an analysis of a connection between thecommunication unit 4 and a GPRS/GSM transmission cell accepting theconnection.

The remote control unit 5 stores a log, comprising said functioningparameters of the food refrigerator 1, relative to correspondingfunctioning periods.

A transmission of said inventory data or functioning parameters to saidremote control unit 5 may be triggered by a fault (for example, interiortemperature out of the range, compressor malfunction, delocalization,connection error, unplugging—power off), detected by the control unit 2,or scheduled at predefined time intervals, or simply on demand sending acall to the phone number of the communication unit 4.

The system and the method according to the present invention achieve aplurality of benefits in the maintenance and use of food refrigerators1, hereinafter briefly resumed:

checking, through a remote server 5, each single refrigerator 1 given inrental or in free loan from a manufacturer of cold product to a vendorof such cold product; thus giving the possibility of a real time assetinventory so as to prevent misposting in the balance sheet;

according to the information about the working hours of the singlerefrigerator, a fine tuning in the depreciation policy could be done bythe refrigerator owner;

remote modification of function parameters associated to each singlerefrigerators 1, for example a temperature value setting. The remotemodification allows a setting of the control unit 2 located inside therefrigerator 1, through a remote communication;

preventive maintenance of a refrigerator 1 on the base of statistic dataretrieved by similar refrigerators 1, for example indicating the lifetime of single components or the so called MTBF (Mean Time BetweenFailures);

“ad hoc” maintenance triggered by the control unit 2 to the remoteserver 5 on the base of a detection of an abnormal function parameter;

geographic localization/delocalization-check of refrigerator 1;

remote inventory of refrigerator 1 giving the possibility to obtainperiodic reports of incoming and out-coming flows of products to therefrigerator and its instant by instant content.

1. A system for remotely controlling and monitoring a food refrigeratorof the type intended to be given in rental or in free loan from amanufacturer to a vendor of cold products, comprising: a control unitfor checking and storing a plurality of functioning parameters of saidfood refrigerator, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader forreading data stored in a plurality of RFID tags attached to said coldproducts, a communication unit for interconnecting an external devicefor obtaining information on a geographical localization of said foodrefrigerator, said RFID reader comprising means for retrieving said datafrom said RFID tags when said cold products are still stocked insidesaid food refrigerator and said communication unit comprisinglocalization means for transmitting information to said external deviceon a geographical localization of said food refrigerator, and means fortransmitting a delocalization message from the communication unit to theremote server when a number of Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission cells connectedby the communication unit before a power off and overlapping to GSM/GPRStransmission cells connected by the communication unit after asuccessive power on is not greater than a predetermined threshold. 2.The system according to claim 1 wherein said means emit a radiofrequency signal at predetermined time intervals for activating saidRFID tags.
 3. The system according to claim 1 wherein said communicationunit is a GSM/GPRS unit or similar cell-based communication system. 4.The system according to claim 1 wherein said external devices is asecond food refrigerator.
 5. The system according to claim 4 whereinsaid food refrigerator and said second food refrigerator resides in asame local area network (LAN) interconnecting respective communicationunits.
 6. The system according to claim 1 wherein said external deviceis a remote server located outside said local area network (LAN).
 7. Thesystem according to claim 1 characterized by comprising a plurality ofbox-cases for hosting said cold products.
 8. The system according toclaim 7 wherein said box cases are mono-use boxes or plastic wrap. 9.The system according to claim 1 wherein said localization means retrievelocalization data from a connection between said communication unit anda set of transmission cells of a GSM/GPRS network.
 10. A method forremote control of a food refrigerator of the type intended to be givenin rental or in free loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of coldproducts, comprising the following phases: checking, through a controlunit, a plurality of functioning parameters of said food refrigerator;reading, through a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, datastored inside a plurality of RFID tags attached to said cold products,said phase of reading being executed when said cold products are stillstocked inside said food refrigerator; interconnecting, through acommunication unit, an external device, obtaining information on ageographical localization of said food refrigerator; and transmitting adelocalization message from the communication unit to the remote serverwhen a number of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) transmission cells connected by thecommunication unit before a power off and overlapping to GSM/GPRStransmission cells connected by the communication unit after asuccessive power on is not greater than a predetermined threshold. 11.The method according to claim 10, wherein said data are grouped in aninventory data file comprising a number of cold products sold and/ortheir permanence inside the food refrigerator and/or their productiondate and or their sale date.
 12. The method according to claim 11,wherein said inventory data file is transmitted at predetermined timeintervals from said communication unit to said remote server.
 13. Themethod according to claim 10, wherein said functioning parameters aresent at predetermined time intervals from said communication unit tosaid remote server.
 14. The method according to claim 10, wherein saidgeographical localization is derived by an analysis of a connectionbetween said communication unit and real-time detectable Global Systemfor Mobile Communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)transmission cells.
 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein saidremote server stores a log, comprising said functioning parameters ofsaid food refrigerator, relative to corresponding functioning periods.16. The method according to claim 10, wherein a transmission of saidinventory data or functioning parameters to said remote server istriggered by a fault detected by said control unit.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein the delocalization message istransmitted, from said communication unit to said remote server, when achange of transmission cells of a GSM/GPRS network is detected by saidcommunication unit after a power fault.
 18. The method according toclaim 10, wherein a transmission of said inventory data or functioningparameters to said remote server is triggered by sending a phone call tosaid control unit.